Bones found in family home ID’d as father missing for decades

One night back in 1961, Mike Carroll’s father, George, disappeared. His mother, Dorothy Carroll, was left to raise him and his siblings in their Lake Grove home. She died in 1998.

December 13, 2018 at 7:17 AM EST - Updated December 13 at 9:29 AM

LAKE GROVE, NY (News 12 Long Island/CNN) - Police said a human remains found in a home are that of a father of four who went missing 57 years ago, and authorities believe he may have been murdered.

“He always had us in tow, according to people that knew us, four kids, 28 years old,” Mike Carroll said.

One night back in 1961, Mike Carroll’s father, George, disappeared. His mother, Dorothy Carroll, was left to raise him and his siblings in their Lake Grove home. She died in 1998.

“The story was that he went out for cigarettes and never came home, but his wallet was still here,” Mike Carroll said.

He said the story never sat well with him, but he hired researchers, psychics, even paranormal investigators to come to the house.

“They said they feel there was a lot of stuff going on here. There’s a lot of energy here. I took a chance. You don’t bust up your basement thinking you’re not gonna find something - right?” Mike Carroll said.

George Carroll, a Korean war vet, had been at the home all along, buried 5 feet beneath the concrete basement floor. Mike’s sons discovered human remains there, and Suffolk police confirmed the bones belong to George.

“If it wasn’t my father, we’d have a whole other story to tell," Mike Carroll said.

Police say they're investigating his death as a homicide. Mike says he's not surprised.

“Blunt force trauma.” Mike Carroll said, which is what he suspected “because that’s what was told to us. That was told to us by a psychic.”

Mike says he's heard many stories over the years about who may have done it and why, but he won't speculate.

Instead he says the positive ID is justice enough for him.

He wants people to remember his father as a good dad, a Harley-riding, hardworking cool guy.